The Michigan Daily-Saturday,- December 2 1978-Page 9
Ailing Wolverine dekers battle
veteran, fifth ranked Gophers
By BRIAN MILLER
Special to the Daily
MINNEAPOLIS-The Wolverines' hockey season has
been less than a cakewalk so far and it doesn't appear as if
things will get any easier.
Sporting a respectable 5-7 record thus far (3-7 in the
WCHA) after playing 12 straight games against teams
ranked in hockey's top ten, Michigan will get no relief as it
takes on the fifth ranked Minnesota Gophes (8-3; 7-3 in the
conference) here today and tomorrow afternoon.
"MINNESOTA IS A team with great experience," said
Michigan mentor Dan Farrell. "I doubt if they have more
than one freshman in their starting lineup. Obviously, it's to
their advantage that their top people are all juniors and
seniors (because of their leadership)."
And helping to lead the Gophers are center Steve Christoff
'(7-11-18) and winger Don Micheletti 7-10-17) juniors both,
along with senior defenseman Bill Baker' (1-13-14) who
provides some punch from the blue line.
"Mjnnfesota is a team writh great exper-
ienlce. I doubt if they hate more than
one freshman in their starting lineup."
-Michigan hockey coach Dan Farrell
said Farrell. "They're (Minnesota) probably the best skating
team in the league."
And considered among the fastest skaters on this team
are juniors center Rob McClanahan and winger Eric Strobel.
They, along with senior winger Phil Verchota, provide the
Gophers with one of the highest scoring lines in the league.
While Minnesota has the scorers this year, it also has the
stoppers. Along with captain Baker, Minnesota has Steve
Pepper (6-0, 180), Bob Bergloff (6-1, 175) and Red Wing Reed
Larson's younger brother Jay (6-1, 170) providing size and
strength in front of the Gopher goal.
"They normally play tough defense," noted Farrell.
When the defense does make a mistake, senior goalie
Steve Janaszak is quite adept at covering up.
In a little over nine games this year, Janaszak has given
up only 35 goals for a fine 3.84 goals against average, fourth
best in the league. Also expected to see action this weekend is
freshman goaltender Jim Jetland. Jetland made 37 saves and
gave up only three goals in last Saturday's 8-3 win over
Colorado.
THE ONLY GOPHER not expected to play today is senior
defenseman Joe Baker, who received a game
disqualification penalty last Saturday. However, he'll be
back for tomorrow's match.
Having enough players is not a luxury Farrell has though.
Both Mike Coffman and Bill Wheeler will not make the trip
because of disciplinary action, and injured skaters Terry
Cullen and Dan Lerg still are unable to play. Cullen will be
gone for the season.
"The problem this week," Farrell said, "is getting some
bodies together that can play.
"We're concerned about scoring," he said. "We're trying
to get some lines together but I don't know what they'll be at
this point."
WCHA Standings
..i MOR % .
Daily Photo by CYRENA CHANG
CONCENTRATION IS THE name of the game. Mark Miller of the Wolverines battles with Michigan's Tech's Mel Pears n
as John Waymann looks on. Michigan will take on the Golden Gophers of Minnesota in the Twin Cities today and tomorrow.
COTTON, SUGAR TO BE DECIDED:
Final bowl bids on line
The most pleasant surprise for Gopher coach Herb Brooks
has to be the play of center Neal Broten.
The freshamn from Roseau, MN, scored three goals and
added five more assists last weekend to raise his point total
to 21, second highest in the conference. Broten's performance
not only helped Minnesota sweep Colorado College, it also
helped the Gophers take over sole possession of second place
in the WCHA, one point behind league leading Notre Dame.
"WE'RE CONCERNED with those players' quickness,"
Team
Notre Dame ............
Minnesota............
Denver ..............
North Dakota........
Michigan Tech-........'
Wisconsin ...............
Minn-Duluth..........
MICHIGAN .............
Michigan State ..........
Colorado College ........
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(AP') New York - College football's
regular season, which began more than
three months ago, finally winds down
today . . .and none too soon for 'the
three undecided bowl games.
As an omen of things to come, Penn
State defeated Temple 10-7 way back on
Sept. 1 and the Nittany Lions, who com-
pleted an 11-0 regular season last week,
rule the roost as the nation's only un-
beaten team.
But while top-rated Penn State sits
back waiting to learn who its Sugar
Bowl opponent will be, two of the
serious challengers for the national
championship will be in action.
Second-ranked Alabama, which
began the season as No. 1, meets
Auburn in the traditional windup at
Birmingham while third-ranked
Southern California has a night contest
against Hawaii on the beach at Waikiki
- or at least in beautiful Aloha
Stadium.
The Sugar Bowl will be keeping a
close watch on Alabama-Auburn, as
well as the meeting in Athens, Ga.,
between No. 11 Georgia and Georgia
Tech.
An Alabama victory will send the
Crimson Tide to New Orleans against
Penn State and a matchup of the
nation's 1-2 teams. But an Auburn upset
or a tie will put Georgia in the *Sugar
Bowl to represent the Southeastern
Conference. Whichever loses out on the
Sugar will meet Stanford in the
Bluebonnet Bowl.
The Southwest Conference's host
team in the Cotton Bowl also is up in the
air, but ninth-ranked Houston can nail
it down by beating or tying lowly Rice
tonight. By that time, though, the
Cougars may be sitting pretty since
Texas Tech, the only other SWC team
with a Cotton-pickin' chance, must
defeat eighth-ranked Arkansas in an af-
ternoon contest to stay alive.
Bama's Bear Bryant calls 6-3-1
Auburn "definitely the toughest con-
ference team we've faced this year.
"They are a very explosive team.
And if they have James Brooks back,
we will be facing a double barrel in-
stead of a single barrel."
Brooks has been out since the-
season's fourth game with a foot injury-
but is still the Tigers' second leading:
rusher with 324 yards. Auburn's No. 1
tailback, Joe Cribbs, is No. 2 in the SIC
with an average of 120.8 yards a game.
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This weekend's games
Michigan at Minnesota (Sat. & Sun.)
Notre Dame at Michigan Tech
Colorado College at Minn-Duluth
Denver at North Dakota
Wisconsin at Michigan State
Big e d AP Photo
Boston Celtic player-coach Dave Cowens controls the ball against Seattle last
night at Boston Garden.
WOMEN SHARP IN OPENER
Tumblers shock Kent
By JEFF FRANK
YPSILANTI - The tumbling season
barely begins and already one giant has
fallen.
A rejuvenated women's gymnastics
squad pulled off an upset in its first dual
meet this season, surprising highly-
rated Kent State in a triangular with
Eastern Michigan last night.
The Wolverine women defeated
Kent's Golden Flashes 126.6-123.55, with
the Hurons trailing at 117.1
A HAPPY combination of youth and
experience paced the surprising early'
season performance. Junior Sara
Flom, freshperson Theresa Bertoncin
and sophomore Colleen Forrestel
placed 1-2-3 in the all-around.
An exuberant team greeted the news
of the unexpected victory with shrieks
and whistles, as the Flashes placed
third in last year's Midwest Regional,
finishing less than one point behind the
eventual winners, Southern Illinois.
Not so unexpected was the reaction of
first-year coach Scott Ponto.
"i'M VERY happy with the results,
everybody did a really great job," said
Ponto. "I was a little surprised to beat
Kent. They have a strong team. The
consistency in all events made me hap-
nv_"
leading the gymnasts' dominance of
those events.
Flom's 8.55 in balance beam tied a
varsity record. Theresa Bertoncin cap-
tured a second and a third place in her
first collegiate meet.
UNITED
JEWISH
PPEAL
Orasnizin